Help me tune my 1st AG recipe

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foreman1063

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First AG, first BIAB, first recipe using BeerSmith. I took the ingredient list on the can of one of my favorite local IPA's and plugged them into beersmith, I then played with the quantities until the ABV and SRM were pretty close. I haven't brewed yet but I do have the ingredients on hand to brew Monday.
I would appreciate any advice on how to improve this recipe, especially the hop utilization. Like I said, I've not brewed yet so if I'm about to screw up please let me know.

BIAB full body, w/mash out
Batch size: 5.75 gallons
Boil time: 60 min
Boil size: 7.5 gallons
68.5 IBU's
9.8 SRM
7% ABV


12 lb 2 row
3 lb Vienna malt
1.25 lb Caramel 40L
1 oz Columbus, 60 min
1 oz Cascade, 60 min
.5 oz Chinook, 30 min
1 oz Warrior, flame out
1 oz Willamette, dry hop

Thanks
 
Looks ok, but seems heavy-handed with 60 minute hops and light on the late hops for an ipa. You'll end up with a lot of bitterness and less hop flavor/aroma. While the IBUs may be on target as currently constructed, you might consider moving some hops to later in the boil. This might also necessitate increasing the hop amounts to hit your target IBU value. Besides cascade will be "wasted" using it as a 60 minute hop - it's wonderful flavor and aroma will be lost when boiled for that long. Better to use it as a late addition (15 minutes or less)
 
Thanks, that's exactly the type of info I was looking for. Back to the drawing board, I'll be back.
 
Ok, played around with the ingredients I have on hand and came up with this:

72.8 IBU's

12 lb 2 row
3 lb Vienna malt
1.25 lb Caramel 40L
1 oz Columbus, 60 min
1 oz Cascade, 10 min
1 oz Chinook, 30 min *(.75 oz = 66 IBU's)
1 oz Warrior, flame out
1 oz Willamette, dry hop

I also have an extra oz of Willamette i could use late if that would help.
 
I don't know which IPA we're talking here; if you let us know which one it is you'll get better and more specific advice. I'm pretty sure they use Warrior to bitter, an ounce should get you close. As J-Lem mentioned, you'll want to a lot more of almost everything else late in the boil and in the dry-hop. My guess would be that they use less C-40 and more Vienna. Something like equal parts 2-row and Vienna and 12-16oz C-40 would get you about the same SRM and tilt the beer away from caramelly and towards dry and toasty.
 
Ok, played around with the ingredients I have on hand and came up with this:

72.8 IBU's

12 lb 2 row
3 lb Vienna malt
1.25 lb Caramel 40L
1 oz Columbus, 60 min
1 oz Cascade, 10 min
1 oz Chinook, 30 min *(.75 oz = 66 IBU's)
1 oz Warrior, flame out
1 oz Willamette, dry hop

That will definitely turn out a nice beer. Whats the reasoning for so many variety of hops? Are you confident those will all play nicely and make you happy.
 
I'd reduce the crystal malt to 1 pound at the most, and then change up the hops schedule.

I don't know what you're attempting to clone, but warrior is a very high AAU hop, without great flavor, so it's typically used for bittering, while the other hops you have listed are typically used for flavor and aroma (including dryhopping).
 
Lots of good questions. It's an attempt at Aviators Hog Wild IPA, I didn't mention it originally because it very local to central NC and I didn't want to show exactly how ignorant I am to this new hobby of mine. I used so many varieties of hops because that's what is listed on the ingredient list. The recipe actually called for Magnum hops but the LHBS did not have and recommended Warrior as a substitute, hmm?
I should have asked for advice before buying the ingredients as the grains are milled and mixed, so nothing I can do about that now.
So maybe move the Warrior to 10 or 20 minute boil and Cascade to flame out?

12 lb 2 row
3 lb Vienna malt
1.25 lb Caramel 40L
1 oz Columbus, 60 min
1 oz Cascade, flame out
1 oz Chinook, 30 min
1 oz Warrior, 20 min
1 oz Willamette, dry hop

85 IBU's
 
I think this will help you more than anything.

http://beerlegends.com/hops-varieties
http://therulingglass.blogspot.com/p/a-drinkers-guide-to-hops-archive.html?m=1

This will give you a good idea of what hops to use when. Some hops are better used as bittering hops (Columbus) and some hops are better used for their flavor/aroma properties.

You are brewing a double IPA with that much grain. Your gravity, and therefore alcohol, is going to be on the higher end. That's not bad - but you need to balance the malt with the hops and I don't think you have enough hops, especially the flavor and aroma hops toward the end of the boil.

Also what temperature are you going to mash at? Higher mash temps (155+) tend to give more body and a more maltier flavor and lower mash temps (148-152) will reduce the malt flavor and let the hop flavor shine through better.
 
Lots of good questions. It's an attempt at Aviators Hog Wild IPA, I didn't mention it originally because it very local to central NC and I didn't want to show exactly how ignorant I am to this new hobby of mine. I used so many varieties of hops because that's what is listed on the ingredient list. The recipe actually called for Magnum hops but the LHBS did not have and recommended Warrior as a substitute, hmm?
I should have asked for advice before buying the ingredients as the grains are milled and mixed, so nothing I can do about that now.
So maybe move the Warrior to 10 or 20 minute boil and Cascade to flame out?

Warrior (and magnum) are almost always bittering hops. I've never had that beer, so I can't tell you exactly which are flavor and which are aroma hops, but I can almost guarantee the warrior should be used at 60 minutes and not later in the boil.

Probably something like this:
.75 oz warrior 60 minutes (or up to about 40 IBUs with this one addition)
.5 oz columbus 15 minutes
1 oz cascade 10 minutes
.5 oz chinook 5 minutes
.5 oz willamette flame out
.5 oz columbus flame out
dryhop with .5 oz chinook, willamette, and maybe columbus
 
Great, I'll start going through those links. Right now I have beersmith set at full body BIAB and mashing at 156. Sounds like I need lower the mash temps and maybe add some late hops.
Thanks a lot
 
Warrior (and magnum) are almost always bittering hops. I've never had that beer, so I can't tell you exactly which are flavor and which are aroma hops, but I can almost guarantee the warrior should be used at 60 minutes and not later in the boil.

Probably something like this:
.75 oz warrior 60 minutes (or up to about 40 IBUs with this one addition)
.5 oz columbus 15 minutes
1 oz cascade 10 minutes
.5 oz chinook 5 minutes
.5 oz willamette flame out
.5 oz columbus flame out
dryhop with .5 oz chinook, willamette, and maybe columbus

Thanks for the spoon feeding Yooper, It's obvious I need it at this point.
I will definitely need to understand hop usage much better before my next attempt. I'll plug this in to BS and see what I come up with.
 
The brewery's description:
6.7% alc/vol SRM: 5 IBU: alot
A golden brew made with Pale Ale and Vienna malts. A veritable fest of the big "C" hops. Chinook, Columbus, Cascade. Dry hopped with Magnum, Williamette, and Amarillo. A very hoppy and refreshing ale.

Reading that, I gather that they kept a few details to themselves. And can't spell Willamette correctly (nice job by the OP on that, however). Anyway, their beer is considerably lighter in color and body than yours will be, so I'd mash around 148. From the BA reviews, Cascade seems to take a backseat to Chinook and Columbus. If you switched the Warrior and Columbus and moved the Chinook to 10 minutes or so, I think you'd have a pretty good beer.
 
Welcome to the boards, and congrats on your first all grain!

My advice is; whatever you do will make most likely a fine brew. But to learn and grow you will try something, see what you liked, what you didn't, learn from it, and following beers will improve. Continue to post once the beer is finished, and with what you finally did. That way you advance your knowledge as well as anyone interested in trying to duplicate the beer. Once you see how it is (for better or worse) others can help you target in what else might need to be done.
 
The brewery's description:
6.7% alc/vol SRM: 5 IBU: alot
A golden brew made with Pale Ale and Vienna malts. A veritable fest of the big "C" hops. Chinook, Columbus, Cascade. Dry hopped with Magnum, Williamette, and Amarillo. A very hoppy and refreshing ale.

Reading that, I gather that they kept a few details to themselves. And can't spell Willamette correctly (nice job by the OP on that, however). Anyway, their beer is considerably lighter in color and body than yours will be, so I'd mash around 148. From the BA reviews, Cascade seems to take a backseat to Chinook and Columbus. If you switched the Warrior and Columbus and moved the Chinook to 10 minutes or so, I think you'd have a pretty good beer.

Thanks Kingwood and lou2row. Ok, I've totally effed up this attempt at a clone. I lost my hand written notes and apparently while messing with BS changed quite a few things. SRM is too high and I completely left out Amarillo hops :smack:. Oh well, as long as I can turn out a decent IPA with what I have on hand, I'll be happy....this time.
Next time I'll pay closer attention, research more and get advice sooner in the process.
Thanks for the help and I'll report back how this turns out.
 
The brewery's description:
6.7% alc/vol SRM: 5 IBU: alot
A golden brew made with Pale Ale and Vienna malts. A veritable fest of the big "C" hops. Chinook, Columbus, Cascade. Dry hopped with Magnum, Williamette, and Amarillo. A very hoppy and refreshing ale.

Reading that, I gather that they kept a few details to themselves. And can't spell Willamette correctly (nice job by the OP on that, however). Anyway, their beer is considerably lighter in color and body than yours will be, so I'd mash around 148. From the BA reviews, Cascade seems to take a backseat to Chinook and Columbus. If you switched the Warrior and Columbus and moved the Chinook to 10 minutes or so, I think you'd have a pretty good beer.

Wow- sounds like a good beer that I wish I could try!

Well, the OP's recipe seems to be lacking amarillo hops, and so it isn't going to be a clone of this beer. And they use the magnum for dryhopping, but the recipe is lacking magnum as well.

But I think the OP has a nice IPA (but with too much crystal malt) anyway. :D:D
 
Wow- sounds like a good beer that I wish I could try!

Well, the OP's recipe seems to be lacking amarillo hops, and so it isn't going to be a clone of this beer. And they use the magnum for dryhopping, but the recipe is lacking magnum as well.

But I think the OP has a nice IPA (but with too much crystal malt) anyway. :D:D

Precisely! :)
 
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